For the past few years its seemed as though everyone is afraid of digital comics but the readers themselves. Comic retailers are terrified of losing sales to the iPad crowd. Publishers are wary of alienating said retailers. Distributors like Diamond stare at the growing digital marketplace and, like a dinosaur seeing the asteroid descending from the heavens, finally realize their own fragile mortality in a cruel, uncaring world.

But like it or not, digital comics are becoming an increasingly important segment of the market. We don't know precisely how important because publishers are loath to release sales figures, but important nonetheless. There are a number of readers (including former IGN Comics EIC Rich George) who prefer to only buy weekly releases in digital form.

As devices like the iPad and Nook Color become more prevalent, there are more readers moving towards digital. There are also more potential readers who now have the opportunity to be exposed to comics digitally that wouldn't otherwise. The problem until recently has been that publishers refused to release digital books day-and-date with the print versions. That changed when Archie Comics became the first major publisher to go same-day digital. DC since followed suit with the New 52 relaunch, and now a growing number of publishers have made the shift as well.

Marvel is currently offering same-day digital on certain books, such as the Ultimate titles and the Spider-Man and X-Men franchises. The time has come for the company to fully embrace the format. At best, they'll be fashionably late to the party at this point. But better late than never.

Marvel can further distinguish themselves by addressing the issue of price. This is a tricky hurdle for publishers. Readers tend to assume that a digital copy of a book should be cheaper than the print version since the costs of printing and shipping are cut out of the equation. The problem, again, is that publishers risk alienating retailers if they both release digital books on day one and price them lower than their print counterparts.

Nevertheless, something needs to be done. iPad owners are accustomed to paying $1 or $2 for most apps and games. It can be difficult to convince non-readers that $3 or $4 for a 22-page comic is a worthwhile purchase. The industry needs to get to a point where single issues cost $1.99 or even $.99. It's the only way the digital market will grow by leaps and bounds rather than incrementally over a long period of time. And ideally, the sheer volume of new readers will eventually make these prices more economically viable.

Diversify the Catalog

It's a familiar stereotype that comic books only feature superhero stories. The problem is that Marvel and DC haven't always done much to dissuade the notion. There are currently 10 Batman oriented titles among the New 52, with an additional three mini-series launching in October. Likewise at Marvel, the X-Men franchise is growing even larger in the wake of Schism, with nine team books, three solo books, and various other spin-offs and mini-series.

It's a tough market to these days. If a book doesn't have "X" or "Avengers" in the title, it's not likely to last very long. Based on current trends, it's probably only a matter of time before Marvel reduces its output down to one book – Wolverine and the Uncanny Spider-Avengers. New issues will be released every 15 minutes, and all seven readers will eat it up despite the $39.99 cover price.

There has to be more diversity in Marvel's output. After all, the Marvel Universe has more to offer than superheroes. Where are the great horror and martial arts-influenced books that once proliferated in the '70s? Why is Victor Gischler's Dracula saga relegated to books like X-Men and Fear Itself: Hulk vs. Dracula rather than a new Tomb of Dracula ongoing? With great franchises like The Eternals, The Inhumans, Captain Marvel, and Guardians of the Galaxy, why is the cosmic portion of the Marvel Universe now limited to the occasional Annihilators mini-series? Why aren't there more books that focus on comedy, like Nextwave and Strange Tales did? Where are the Westerns and crime dramas and romance books that so ably replaced superhero books in the '50s?

Less than a decade ago, Marvel was making strides and branching out to new readers who don't fit the usual adult male demographic. The Tsunami imprint directly targeted manga readers. Meanwhile, Runaways and Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane proved incredibly popular with teenagers and females, two demographics that usually prove so elusive. But with the Runaways on an extended hiatus for the past three years, these teens and females are moving to competing books, to manga, or simply to other forms of media altogether.

Even among stalwart franchises like the X-Men, there are ways to encourage diversity and different forms of storytelling. Rather than have every one of the ten X-Men team books be oriented in the same time and place, why not branch out? Capitalize on the enduring '90s nostalgia by producing a book set in the post-Claremont, Blue Team/Gold Team period or in the Age of Apocalypse universe. Bring back Exiles, which had maintained a strong following for years until bad storytelling finally derailed it. Offer more X-books that focus on science fiction or mirroring the teen experience rather than straight superhero fantasy.

The easy answer to all of these questions is that those books won't sell. The truth is that they don't sell well because there isn't enough of a market to support much of anything. Proper diversity operates on a positive feedback loop. Newer, more unique books will draw in new readers. These new readers will in turn broaden the market and make more diverse books possible. The journey towards diversity may be slow and painful at first, but the commitment will bring a healthy payoff in the end.

DC promises to focus on diversity in their new lineup, but they've also shown a newfound willingness to cancel low-selling books almost immediately. Rather than follow this example, Marvel would do well to support unique books, shouldering the financial burden as these titles find their audience. Success can't be found overnight, and too many comics don't receive the chance they deserve these days. What kind of terrible, joyless world would we be living in now if Secret Six had been given the ax after one issue?

Will it Work?

With sales being what they have been these last few years, it's clear Marvel needs to do something profound to reinvigorate their market. Is the New 52 relaunch a model of how to do this? It's a little early to say. DC's first-month sales were vastly improved, but the real test of the relaunch will come half a year or more down the road. If Justice League is still selling 200,000+ copies a month, then DC's gamble will have fully paid off.

That said, Marvel can't afford to wait and see which way the wind blows. Sales can't go much lower than they are now without the industry shriveling up. Meanwhile, with both an Avengers movie and a Spider-Man reboot coming out next summer, there won't be a better time to shine a spotlight on the Marvel Universe. The company should be doing everything in their power to appeal to casual fans, non-readers, and lapsed readers in the coming months. That doesn't mean just offering a full slate of new #1 issues, but advertising on TV and in theaters and launching a PR campaign at least as extensive as DC's this past summer.

Marvel has a clear choice to make in the coming months and years. They can allow the industry to follow its current trend and grow ever smaller. They can be a company whose primary purpose is to create characters and maintain their copyrights so that their parent company can exploit the characters in movies, TV, and video games. Or they can join DC in working to make comic books a thriving business in their own right again. Maybe today's youth just don't want to pay for the privilege of reading and comics are doomed regardless. Maybe online pirating will cannibalize the industry from the inside out. But better to go down fighting, no?